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Thursday, November 10, 2011

Over this past weekend, before my hands got so deep into painting my Master Bath Cabinets and Doors, I switched out the strictly Halloween accents on my pine hutch and placed a few treasured Thanksgiving friends throughout the already autumn inspired design. If you missed how I put this together for autumn and Halloween you can go HERE to see the original post. (By the way, I am typing this right now with days of dried white paint all over my fingers. I gave up two days ago at trying to scratch it off!)

So here are my new friends.

My mother, who has has been gone for over 17 years, bought me these little paper pilgrims at a crafts fair at a local high school. She saw me eyeballing them and knew at the time that I couldn't afford them. She bought them when I wasn't looking and showed up on Thanksgiving Day with them for me as a hostess gift. I pack them away by themselves with fresh tissue paper every year. I truly treasure these little people. They remind me of good times with my mom.

I bought these that same year at an outdoor crafts festival.

I scattered these little blocks atop my vintage skates and along the top edge of the hutch.

My Mother gave both me and my sister a set of these little china pilgrims. At the time she also gave us an octagon shaped mirror to set them on. After she passed and for several years, I would set them up just as she wanted us to on that mirror. Time has passed and I have grown to realize that what she really wanted for us is to figure out what we liked and do it our own way. I think it takes being a mother to finally understand that. I still have that mirror, but prefer to set them out together without it. They have suffered damage over the years at the hand of my children when they were small. I have mended them with some Elmer's glue and put them right back out.

Somebody named 'Twinkle Toes" of Fort Lauderdale made this little Clay Pot Turkey. I think he is ingenious and wanted to show you this. As you can see he would be easy to replicate and is a possible great craft idea for a party. If you want me to email you close up images, just let me know.

This tall drink of water is one of my newer purchases. I picked him up a few years ago at HomeGoods. Below him on the table of the bottom half of the hutch are a wooden turkey I picked up along with way and a little scrabble message idea I took from the blogs.

Scattered throughout the entire layout are my primitive boxes and vintage tools and utensils. I love this collection and always try to incorporate much of it in my seasonal decorating.

Do you have cherished pieces that you have kept over the years? Do you remember to bring them out and enjoy them? Do you have anything boxed away, shoved in a closet or drawer that someone special gave you? Perhaps that special someone is gone, like my mother. Don't forget to bring those special items out and enjoy them. I can say that just bringing my paper pilgrim couple and china pilgrim family out brings me back to a wonderful time in my life. It somehow keeps me connected to my mom. It reminds me of what an amazing person she really was and inspires me to carry on the legacy...

Now....I gotta run and get back to the cabinets. They are really looking awesome, but they are just not ready to reveal. Here is a sneak peek from yesterday on my progress.

I've never seen anything like those paper Pilgrims. How sweet that they bring back such wonderful memories for you of your good times with your Mom. I have a Nativity set that my Dad hand carved for me. I treasure it.

that is really sweet! (and would you believe my mom has pilgrims like that she made! she was way into paper twist crafts!) anyhow, i think it is the perfect time to remember her and be thankful for the time you had with her. every year at thanksgiving when i was growing up and we would say the blessing, we always gave thanks for the relatives and loved ones we had lost and for the time we shared with them. we haven't said that in a while, but i think it's a good idea to start doing that again.